Season 9 Release Date and Test Servers

Season 9 of Diablo 4, named Sins of the Horadrim, launches on:

·Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 10:00 AM PST

·It will begin immediately after the conclusion of Season 8’s Return of Belial event.

·Test servers will be available earlier for players eager to dive into the new content and provide feedback:

·Open from Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 10:00 AM PST to Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 10:00 AM PST.

·The test period allows players to explore core features and help polish the season before official launch.

Key Features of Season 9

Season 9 brings a wealth of new content and mechanics, designed to deepen gameplay and lore immersion:

·New Seasonal Power Mechanic: Horadric Spells

·New Seasonal Items: Horadric Jewels

·New Seasonal Event: Nightmare Dungeon Escalation

·New Micro-Dungeons: Horadric Strongrooms

·Nightmare Affix Updates

·New Seasonal Storyline and Questline

·Season Journey and Season Blessings Enhancements

·Reliquary Battle Pass System

·New Seasonal Reputation System

·New Unique and Legendary Items for Each Class

·Keyboard and Mouse Support on Consoles

This season focuses on expanding character customization, replayability, and Sanctuary’s rich lore.

Horadric Spells: A Reimagined Seasonal Power

Season 9 introduces Horadric Spells, a revamped system replacing the former Horadric Powers. This deep character enhancement mechanic revolves around three customizable components:

Components:

·Catalysts: Core effects triggered by specific action bar skills, with 5 types available. Each gains a bonus at level 10.

·Infusions: Elemental modifiers (toxic vapor, icy storms, electric surges) that enhance Catalysts. At level 5, Infusions can suppress enemy affixes.

·Arcana: Supplementary modifiers that come in Magic, Rare, and Legendary rarities. Legendary Arcana adapt dynamically to the active Catalyst for powerful effects.

Players can manage and fine-tune these spells from a dedicated tab beside the inventory.

Horadric Spells build on the "borrowed power" mechanics of past seasons, promising greater depth and versatility.

Horadric Jewels and Strongrooms

Horadric Jewels return from Season 7, providing buffs to armor, elemental resistances, and core stats. However, beware- some Jewels carry negative side effects, adding strategic decisions to gear choices.

Horadric Strongrooms:

·Randomly spawn during Nightmare Dungeons.

·Similar to past micro-dungeons like Rootholds and Hellbreaches.

·Feature waves of enemies reward Horadric Attunement currency per kill.

·Optional Trials within Strongrooms can boost Attunement and rare loot chances.

·Higher Attunement means better rewards from the final boss.

Escalating Nightmares: The New Endgame Challenge

This brand-new activity challenges players to complete three Nightmare Dungeons consecutively, with each dungeon stacking the affixes of the previous ones, escalating difficulty and rewards.

·Escalating Nightmare Sigil: Required to start; found in Horadric Strongrooms at Torment I+ difficulty.

·Final boss of the third dungeon: Astaroth Reignited- a revamped classic boss.

·Astaroth is not a Ladder Boss this season, but may appear in the Lair rotation in future updates.

New Unique and Legendary Items

Every class receives the new Unique Diablo 4 Items this season, designed to unlock fresh playstyles and build options. Additionally:

·New Legendary Aspects will be introduced.

·Balance changes will adjust existing items and aspects to keep the meta dynamic.

Reliquary Battle Pass

Season 9 debuts a Reliquary system within the Battle Pass, featuring:

·Personalized reward tracks.

·New cosmetics, including mounts, pets, armor sets, weapons, and cheap Diablo IV Items and more.

·Enhances player progression and customization options.

Season Transition

·All Season 8 characters will be transferred to the Eternal Realm at Season 9’s start.

·To experience new content and mechanics, players must create new Season 9 characters (standard seasonal practice).

·Items from Season 8 move to a Withdraw Only tab in the Eternal Realm stash.

·Limited time to withdraw items before permanent deletion when Season 9 ends.

Summary

Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim promises a rich mix of fresh mechanics, exciting endgame challenges, and lore-driven content that will satisfy both veterans and newcomers. With Horadric Spells, Horadric Jewels, Strongrooms, and Escalating Nightmares, the season brings innovation and depth.

Prepare for the launch on July 1, 2025, and don’t miss the test server period starting late May for a sneak peek